最新研究表明灌溉有助于增进健康

41 最新研究表明灌溉有助于增进健康

DATE=5-1-01 TITLE=AGRICULTURE REPORT - Irrigation and Good Health BYLINE=George Grow
This is the VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT.  
Irrigation is the watering of land by other than natural (1) methods.  Irrigation projects provide water for plants in areas that have long periods of little or no （2）rainfall.  A new study shows how irrigation projects can help improve the lives of people in different ways.  The study found that irrigation projects have helped improve crop production in parts of Africa that have little rain.  It also found that irrigation improved the health and (3) diets of people in those areas.  
The United Nations Food and Agriculture (4) Organization announced the findings¹.  The U-N agency² has said that increasing the use of (5) irrigation could be the answer to feeding the world's people.  
F-A-O officials say irrigated³ land is almost three times as productive⁴ as （6）cropland dependant⁵ on rain.  They say thirty to forty percent of the world's food comes from irrigated land. 
 During the next thirty years, about seventy percent of the additional⁶ food production in developing countries is expected to come from irrigated land.  However, only four percent of African farmland south of the Sahara Desert has irrigation. 
In the new study, F-A-O officials studied small irrigation projects in Burkina Faso, Mali and Tanzania.  They found that the addition of small dams and wells resulted in changes in all three countries.  For example, local people earned more money.  They could pay for health care.  And they could eat healthier foods.  
In all three projects, irrigation (7) increased food production or earnings⁷ by enough to provide an extra meal each day.  This was true even during the period before the harvest. 
For example, the report said a local dam in Mali gave farmers water to increase food production. The project also led to the production of new crops, such as vegetables rich in vitamins. 
 In Burkina Faso, some of the money earned from the sale of farm products was invested⁸ in health care.  F-A-O officials say visits to local health care centers rose fifty percent over three years.  In some families, the amount of money spent on health care rose from five to twelve percent. 
In Tanzania, some women in villages （8）traditionally spend hours getting water.  The addition of wells meant that the women had time for more productive activities. So the women were trained to grow their own crops. 
This VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT was written by George Grow.

注释：
(1) method[5meWEd]n.方法
(2) rainfall[ 5reinfC:l ]n.降雨, 降雨量
(3) diet[ 5daiEt ]n.通常所吃的食物, 会议
(4) organization[ 7C:^Enai5zeiFEn ]n.组织, 机构
(5) irrigation[ 7iri5^eiFEn ]n.灌溉, 冲洗
(6) cropland[`krCplAnd ]n.农田, 植作物之农地
(7) increased[In`kri:st]adj.增加的, 增强的
(8) traditional[trE5dIFEn(E)l]adj.传统的, 惯例的

1 findings   

n.发现物( finding的名词复数 )；调查（或研究）的结果；（陪审团的）裁决

参考例句：

• It behoves us to study these findings carefully. 我们理应认真研究这些发现。
• Their findings have been widely disseminated . 他们的研究成果已经广为传播。

2 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

3 irrigated   

[医]冲洗的

参考例句：

• They irrigated their crops with water from this river. 他们用这条小河里的水浇庄稼。
• A crop can be sown, weeded, irrigated, and fertilized uniformly. 一种作物可以均匀一致地进行播种，除草，灌溉和施肥。

4 productive   

adj.能生产的，有生产价值的，多产的

参考例句：

• We had a productive meeting that solved some problems.我们开了一个富有成效的会议，解决了一些问题。
• Science and technology are part of the productive forces.科学技术是生产力。

5 dependant   

n.依靠的，依赖的，依赖他人生活者

参考例句：

• The dependent dependant cannot live independently.依靠别人的被赡养者不能独立生活。
• The fact that the woman is still regarded as the man's dependant.再加上女人仍被看作是男人的附属品这一事实。

6 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。

7 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

8 invested   

v.投资，花费( invest的过去式和过去分词 )；授予；（把资金）投入；投入（时间、精力等）

参考例句：

• The money will be invested in managed funds. 这笔钱将投资于管理基金。
• He invested his lawyer with complete power to act for him. 他让律师全权代办。 来自《简明英汉词典》